Who is Miguel Jontel Pimentel? The entertainment and music world knows Miguel as an American recording artist, songwriter and producer. Signed to Jive Records in 2007, Miguel released his debut album, All I Want Is You, in November 2010. The album was preceded by the release of the single "All I Want Is You", featuring rapper J. Cole.Life and career
Early life
Miguel Jontel Pimentel was born October 23, 1986 in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.[1][2] He is one of two sons born to a Mexican father and an African american mother.[2] Miguel's parents divorced when he was eight years old.[3] At a young age, Miguel listened to classic rock, hip hop, funk and rhythm and blues.[2] At age 13, he began pursuing a career in music.[2]Career beginnings
Miguel worked with a local production duo Drop Squad in 2000, before being signed with independent record label Black Ice in 2004. During this period, the labels had requested Miguel to make music similar to that of musical group B2K.[4] For nearly a year, Miguel's manager at the time submitted several songs to music mogul Mark Pitts; after receiving a song titled "Sure Thing"—which Miguel described as a "highly personal...record that no one was ever supposed to hear"—Pitts scheduled a meeting with Miguel in October 2007. The following month, Miguel signed a recording contract with Jive Records.[3][4] Miguel recalled that the signing his contract took place in a "very small room in a very small office in a small corner of the building at Jive".[5] Miguel was subsequently sued by Black Ice for "monetary rights to his newfound success".[6] For the following three years,, he contributed to Usher's Here I Stand and Raymond v. Raymond, as well as Asher Roth's Asleep in the Bread Aisle and Musiq Soulchild's "IfULeave".[7][8] Miguel also released Mischief: The Mixtape; he explained that the title referred to his attempt to "[tell] people that there is an alternative to getting sort of the same thing".[8] The lawsuit was settled in 2010.[6]All I Want Is You
After making his contribution to Usher's Raymond v. Raymond in 2010, Miguel released his debut single titled "All I Want Is You", which features J. Cole and was produced by Salaam Remi. It is the lead single from his debut album of the same title.Musical style
Miguel cites musicians Prince, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, Freddie Mercury, Phil Collins, Donny Hathaway, The Notorious B.I.G. and Kanye West,[9] as well as the band Queen as his influences,[10][11][12] in addition to expressing his admiration for Stevie Wonder, John Lennon and Diane Warren.[8] Miguel revealed his desire to have worked with James Brown, whom he considers the "last innovator for me when it comes to soul".[5] In addition to singing, Miguel also plays the guitar.[5] He incorporates R&B, funk, hip hop, rock and electronic
into his music.[4][7][12] Miguel described his sound as "nostalgic in a sense that it's familiar... it's shocking, edgy, energizing".[7] In an interview with Paper magazine, he regarded his music as "fly, funkadelic, intergalactic-hip-hop-meets-sexy-orgasmic crazy, dope shit".[5]Discography
Mixtapes
- 2008: Mischief: The Mixtape
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Sales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | U.S. R&B | |||
| 2010 | All I Want Is You
| 37 | 9 |
|
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [14] | US R&B [14] | US Heat [14] | |||
| 2010 | "All I Want Is You" (featuring J. Cole) | 58 | 7 | 1 | All I Want Is You |
| 2011 | "Sure Thing" | 36 | 1 | 1 | |
Guest appearances
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "First Things First" (Blu & Exile featuring Miguel) | Below the Heavens |
| "Cold Hearted" (Blu & Exile featuring Miguel) | ||
| "You Are Now In The Clouds With ... (The Koochie Monstas')" (Blu & Exile featuring Miguel) | ||
| 2009 | "His Dream" (Asher Roth featuring Miguel) | Asleep in the Bread Aisle |
| 2011 | "Raise Your Hands" (Paul Oakenfold featuring Miguel) | |
| "Hoe" (Jhené Aiko featuring Miguel) | .sailing soul(s). |
Awards and nominations
- Grammy Awards
- 2011, Best R&B Song: "Finding My Way Back" – Songwriter (nominated)[15]
